Mending the Rift
by jadefirefly3D
Summary: The Pines family is falling apart. Stan and Ford still can't get along and are too stubborn to try, Dipper is distancing himself from Mabel, making her worry that they're drifting apart and will end up like the Stans. When she's stung by a Worry Wasp, a venomous creature from another dimension, it forces the two generations of Mystery Twins to confront their issues. (PostDD&MD)
1. Sting

A/N I don't like where things between Dipper and Mabel are going so I have to fix it! Which means that the curse of the evil plot bunnies have struck again! Having hit a snag with some major edits in "Mabel's Choice" and "Made Me Realize" I've been procrastinating and have come up with this. I think I need to get it out of my system or something... Alex! Why must you hit me in the feels? Dipper and Mabel...Mystery Twins for life man, Mystery Twins for life! Anyway, I don't expect it to be very long, maybe four chapters or so? But knowing me it will probably end up being longer. Anyway, without further ado, enjoy!

* * *

 **Sting**

Mabel sighs as she stares at the ceiling, having given up long ago on trying to fall asleep because even though she's really tired, she can't seem to turn off her brain. Something about the quiet of the night and the solitude that comes with it, makes all the little things, small changes that in the hustle and bustle of the daytime had been easily dismissed as insignificant take a more profound and important meaning in her mind. So she stares at the ceiling and allows herself to get lost in her thoughts.

She doesn't like this thinking and worrying business. She's normally the type of person who doesn't sweat the small stuff, far too happy and content with her world to worry and overthink things. That's Dipper's department. Her philosophy is that most things will work themselves out if they're meant to so long as she remains positive. Not that she chooses to ignore her problems, because she'll deal with them if she needs to, but she's not normally the type to lie awake worrying about them. She'd rather just do something about it than fret over it.

Besides, she knows that most of the things she tends to worry about are actually pretty silly in the grand scheme of things. Like worrying that she won't find a boyfriend and have the epic summer romance she really wants, it's kind of trivial in the long run. She's only _twelve_. And now she's worried that she and Dipper will drift apart or have some major falling out like Grunkle Stan and Grunkle Ford did. Dipper even said it was stupid to think they would, because they're best friends and that won't change. Maybe he's right. He is right about them being best friends, but so were Stan and Ford and they can barely stand to be in the same room…

 _We're not them,_ Mabel thinks, _we're not stubborn like they are, when we have a fight we talk things out so it's silly to lose sleep worrying about this._

She closes her eyes and rolls onto her side, _Dipper and I are fine, there's nothing wrong with our relationship. If anything, this summer has brought us closer._

Mabel grins, snuggling into her pillow and tries to relax. But as she lies there she still can't sleep, she still can't shake this intangible sense of dread that something is wrong. _If everything is truly fine, then why am I still so worried?_

/o\

The next morning Dipper, Stan and Ford are having breakfast. Ford had bragged about making a wicked omelette and Stan told him to prove it, because he was pretty sure his were better. "Dipper, where's your sister?" Ford asks, "She's not going to want to miss this, because these omelettes are pretty amazing."

"I'll get her," Dipper shrugs, leaving to go get her but he runs into her at the stairs, "Good you're up, Ford's almost done making breakfast and—whoa, what happened to you?" he asks when he sees just how exhausted she looks, with circles under her eyes to rival his own.

Mabel yawns, leaning heavily on the banister as she heads down the stairs, "Didn't sleep well last night."

"Again?" Dipper frowns, "This is the third night in a row! What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Mabel grins, brushing off the question because when she sees the sincerity and concern in his eyes, she knows she was being silly to stay up all night worrying that something was going on between them. Clearly it was all in her head. "Just couldn't sleep. Silly stuff."

"Want to talk about it?" Dipper asks.

"Nah," Mabel giggles, "there's really not much to talk about. Just couldn't sleep is all, not a big deal."

Dipper shrugs and leads the way into the kitchen. Mabel goes straight for the Mabel Juice, a concoction that Ford has mentioned more than once he wants to analyse on a deeper, more scientific level. One glass and she's back to her normal self, one would never know she's actually running on only a couple of hours a night sleep at most over the past week or so.

"Seriously," Ford says, "what is in that stuff? It tastes like an abomination, but works better than coffee!"

" _That_ Grunkle Ford is a secret I'm taking to my grave," Mabel retorts ominously, before laughing, "but maybe I'll make an exception for you if you tell me the secret about these fabulous omelettes!"

"Oh that's a secret too big to even dare record in my journals…but you might have a deal, kid," Ford winks at her and Mabel giggles.

"They're good," Stan grouses reluctantly, "but we all know mine are better."

"You keep telling yourself that Grunkle Stan," Dipper teases, "These are awesome! High six Grunkle Ford!" he holds up his hand and Ford slaps his hand with gusto.

Stan watches the exchange and Mabel watches his expression shift. Before he was just a little cranky, but Stan looks almost hurt watching his brother and Dipper bond. It's not jealousy, at least not entirely, rather it was a feeling of being left out, like you no longer matter as much as you used to. Like you've been replaced.

"It's OK Grunkle Stan," Mabel says, understanding how he must be feeling because she kinda feels that way too, "yours are really good too."

"But mine are better!" Ford laughs and Dipper joins him, clearly still awestruck by his idol. "Hey Dipper, you ready to help me out with…you know, the Thing?"

"What thing?" Mabel asks as Dipper enthusiastically agrees.

"Oh, it's nothing," Dipper says dismissively, "You wouldn't understand it anyway."

Mabel knows he doesn't mean anything by it, but his words sting nonetheless, a little more than they usually would. "Oh, yeah sure," she nods, grinning weakly, "it's probably just some weird dork stuff anyway, right?"

"Yeah," Dipper agrees, "something like that."

"Come on, let's go," Ford starts to leave, motioning for him to follow.

"Not so fast kiddo," Stan says as Dipper starts after him, "it's your turn to clean the kitchen."

"But…" Dipper whines, looking at the mess on the stove and counters and then looking at Ford.

" _And_ you promised to help Soos with fixing the roof," Stan continues.

"But…" Dipper sighs, looking disappointed. Soos wasn't due for another hour, but if he had to clean the kitchen that would leave no time to help Ford.

"Come on Stanley," Ford gestures to the messy kitchen, "he already helped me make breakfast, give the kid a break. We're working on something down there, he's learning a lot."

"Nothing dangerous, right?" Stan narrows his eyes suspiciously.

"Of course not," Ford replies.

"Well, you can work on it when he's done in here, it's his turn."

"But Grunkle Stan…"

"Come on Stanley, be reasonable..."

"No Ford, _you_ be reasonable!" Stan snaps, "You're nothing but a bad influence on the boy!"

" _I'm_ a bad influence? You're the one who's been living a lie and running some scam tourist trap in _my_ home while I was gone. At least I'm teaching the kid valuable lessons that's going to help him actually get somewhere in life! What have you taught him? How to lie? Cheat?"

"I'm teaching him not to shirk his responsibilities Stanford!" Stan hisses.

"Ironic coming from _you_!" Ford retorts.

Mabel flinches, glancing at Dipper as the elder Pines Twins raise their voices to the point of shouting. Dipper's eyes meet hers briefly, and it's clear that he's unimpressed about being thrown in the middle of their feud but it's also clear whose side he's on. Ford.

"Hey," Mabel cuts in, "it's OK. I've got it. I can clean the kitchen, it's no problem."

"Stay out of this Mabel…" Stan warns.

"Really?" Dipper exclaims happily, speaking over his Grunkle.

"Yeah, it's no problem bro-bro," Mabel grins, trying to ease the tension, she turns to Stan, "he can do it tomorrow when it's my turn."

Stan sighs, patting her on the back, "All right," he glares at Ford, making it obvious that it wasn't really about who has to clean the kitchen.

"Thanks Mabel!" Dipper says.

"Well, you're always willing to help me out when I need it, so it's the least I could do!"

"Well, _technically_ the least you could do is nothing," Dipper states as he and Ford start to leave, "but you're the best! I owe you one!"

"How about we all hang out tonight? Have a movie night or something?" Mabel suggests, calling after them.

"Yeah, sure! Sounds like a plan!" Dipper agrees with a wave as Ford gives a non-committal shrug, neither bothering to turn around, both clearly already more focused on whatever it is they're working on in the basement than Mabel's suggestion.

Mabel sighs, trying not to read into it too much because whatever it is, Dipper's clearly excited about so it shouldn't be much of a shocker that his mind would be elsewhere. Besides, it's not like they said 'no'. Pines family Movie Nights are always fun, so she's already switching gears planning it out in her mind. Since it would be Grunkle Ford's first Movie Night, it would be a perfect opportunity to bring the family together.

"Are you in, Grunkle Stan?" Mabel asks.

"I'll have to think about it, sweetie," Stan shrugs, watching them leave with a frustrated glare in his eyes.

Determined to remain positive Mabel continues, "It's going to be fun! Grunkle Ford has thirty years of movies to catch up on watching and…"

"Yeah, yeah," Stan says, "fun."

Mabel frowns, watching Stan head for his office. She starts grabbing everyone's plates, humming to herself as a distraction. She tries not to let it get to her, the fact that her two Grunkles are _still_ not getting along, neither are even bothering to _try_ , and the fact that Dipper has spent most of his free time with Grunkle Ford and has ever since become more and more distant.

 _We're not going to end up like Grunkle Stan and Grunkle Ford, we're not. We're not drifting apart, I'm just being paranoid, which is silly—that's Dipper's job. Everything is fine. Grunkle Stan and Grunkle Ford will come around and start getting along eventually, and just because Dipper's spending all his time with Grunkle Ford doesn't mean he doesn't want to spend time with me anymore. I've got my friends, I should let him have his. No big deal. And tonight is going to be the perfect opportunity to get us all one step closer to being a happy family again! Stop worrying so much Mabel, you're being stupid. Everything is fine._

As she washes their dishes she chuckles weakly to herself, "Everything is fine."

/o\

"What's the matter, Hambone?" Soos asks later on, as Mabel helps him with the roof. When Dipper said that he and Ford were in the middle of something and couldn't really walk away from it, Mabel volunteered to help Soos out instead.

"You're the best Mabes, I owe you one!" Dipper had said.

"No problem," she told him, "so what are you two doing down there anyway?"

"Nothing!" he replied, "Just dork stuff, you wouldn't understand!"

Mabel didn't push it, and tried not to let his words bother her because he was right, she wouldn't understand what they were doing. _I'm just reading too much into things_ , she thought to herself, _no big deal._

"OK," she said to him, "well, can't wait for Movie Night tonight! See you then broseph!"

"Yep!" Dipper had replied with a nod, but it was clear he was distracted, his mind still with the mystery project in the basement.

Mabel sighs, glancing at her friend as she hands him a nail and he starts hammering. "It's nothing Soos, I'm just…being stupid."

"Why do you say that?" Soos asks.

"It's Dipper," she explains, "he's been spending all his time with Grunkle Ford now, and hardly spends time with me anymore! And he won't even tell me what he's doing, like it's some big secret! We never keep secrets from each other, and now… I know it's not a big deal, and I'm glad he's bonding with the Author of the Journals, it means so much to him, but I'm…I guess I'm worried that…that…" she sighs, shaking her head, "I'm just being stupid. Everything is still fine between us, I just…kinda missed what we had going on before… Grunkle Ford coming along, it changed things so much. I don't know why it bothers me like it does. I think I'm just being stupid and selfish..."

"You're afraid that you two are growing apart," Soos says, "I get it. I think it's OK to feel that way, but just because Dipper has a new friend to hang out with…" Soos pauses and sighs, "it just means that things have changed, but I don't think you have anything to worry about, Hambone, having a new friend doesn't mean he's going to forget his old friends, or his sister."

"You miss him too, don't you?" Mabel asks and Soos nods.

"But I'm not too worried," Soos adds, "he'll come around. He always does, dude."

Mabel laughs, "Yeah, that's true."

"We just gotta be patient."

"You're right Soos," Mabel grins, "Thanks."

But as she looks away her smile fades, _But everything's suddenly so different now…what if he doesn't?_

/o\

Later that day Mabel quietly sings some random pop song she's got stuck in her head to herself as she finishes getting the popcorn ready. She has five movies picked out, just her top choices for movies she thinks everyone will enjoy, but ultimately she's going to let Dipper decide. He knows Grunkle Ford best right now, and since this will be Ford's introduction to modern cinema, she figures it would be good to watch something catered to his tastes. It's all part of her plan to bring the family together.

"What are you doing?" Stan asks as Mabel starts to set up the living room. "Baby Fights" is on and he strains to watch with her constantly getting in his way.

"Movie night, remember?"

"Oh yeah," Stan says, "What are we watching?"

"I don't know, I'm letting Dipper pick. I figured he'd know what Grunkle Ford would like best, and since this will be his first movie in, well, _forever_ …"

Stan stiffens in his seat, frowning, "Sorry kid, if _he's_ gonna be there, I'm finding something else to do."

"But Grunkle Stan!" Mabel protests as he turns off the TV and climbs out of his chair, "Why can't you two just hug it out already? Can't you put your differences aside and move on? You two were best friends! Why can't..."

"It's not that simple kid," Stan gives her an affectionate pat on the head, "but you guys have fun." He starts up the stairs but stops, poking his head around the corner, "Oh and Ford is not allowed to sit in my chair."

Mabel groans in frustration. She's disappointed but she's also determined not to let it get her down. _Fine,_ she thinks, _then that means_ I'm _sitting in the comfy chair!_ She puts out popcorn and other various snacks on the table, and three cans of Pitt Cola and leans back and waits for Dipper and Ford to arrive. _OK, so Stan's not joining us, but maybe this will be a good chance for me to connect with Grunkle Ford and get to know him better. Maybe that's been the problem all along. Maybe if I can bond with Grunkle Ford like Dipper has, maybe this stupid fear of Dipper and I growing apart will go away..._

They agreed to meet at 7:30 but fifteen minutes later she gets tired of waiting for Dipper and Ford, she heaves a sigh and heads for the vending machine and opens the door, "Dipper!" she calls, "It's movie time, remember?" she heads down the stairs and down the elevator. The door opens and she's met with a blinding blue light. She shields her eyes, "Dipper!"

The light suddenly dims and Dipper comes running, wearing dark tinted goggles and rubber gloves that go to his elbows, Ford is close behind, similarly dressed. He lowers a curtain, hiding whatever it is they're working on from her prying eyes, "Mabel!" Dipper hisses, "What are you doing? You're not supposed to be down here!"

"Does Grunkle Stan know you're working with dangerous stuff?" Mabel frowns.

"It's perfectly safe," Dipper huffs, "What do you want?"

"Uh, movie night, remember?"

"Oh crap, I forgot," Dipper sighs, and to his credit, his remorse for forgetting is genuine, "Rain check?"

"But…you promised," Mabel stammers, "remember? I did your chores for you and stuff and…"

"But this is really important," Dipper gestures to the curtain.

"What are you even working on?"

"You know I can't tell you," Dipper says, "You wouldn't understand it anyway. Please Mabel? Tomorrow, OK?"

Mabel's shoulders sag and she sighs, "Whatever." She turns to leave and Dipper stops her with a sigh to rival her own.

"Fine, fine, I guess we'll hang out then."

"Please, try and hide your enthusiasm," Mabel rolls her eyes, "I can tell you're _really_ excited for this."

"Well what am I supposed to do?" Dipper asks defensively, "I'm busy, is it such a big deal that we can't postpone it _one_ night?"

"You don't get it, do you?" _Don't you see how worried I am that we're drifting apart? Don't you realize how important this was to me? It wasn't just some random Movie Night, not for me._

"What's to get?" Dipper asks.

"Forget it," Mabel bites her lip, trying to keep from crying, "just…whatever."

"All right, all right, we'll hang out!" Dipper starts to follow, tearing off his gloves and goggles, glancing at Ford apologetically.

"No," Mabel replies, "movie night is cancelled. If hanging out with me is such an inconvenience…"

"Aw Mabel, don't be like that!"

"Like what? I was looking forward to the four of us spending time together as a family, two generations of Mystery Twins putting our differences aside for one night of fun. I was hoping maybe this would… I don't know…" _Help mend Grunkle Stan and Grunkle Ford's relationship, prevent us from drifting apart…_ Mabel manages to keep her voice even, but the feeling of betrayal still rings loud and clear, "Doesn't matter anyway because Grunkle Stan's not interested, _you're_ not interested and Grunkle Ford, what about you?"

Ford shrugs sheepishly, "Sorry Mabel, but there's a lot to do down here."

"See? So it's cancelled," Mabel frowns, "Excuse me for feeling disappointed."

"Look, I'm really sorry, OK?" Dipper asks, "We lost track of time, you know how I can get when I'm really into something."

"Yeah…" Mabel concedes hesitantly, because he does have a point.

"You're overreacting," he says, not noticing her bristle at that, "why don't you call Candy and Grenda, maybe they can watch a movie with you and we'll hang out tomorrow, deal?"

She heaves a deep sigh, and turns to leave, waving dismissively, "Sure, OK."

When she gets upstairs Mabel closes the vending machine and leans against it trying not to cry as emotion filled moisture builds at her eyes. _You don't get it, you don't_ see _it! Ever since the Portal opened…ever since Grunkle Ford…_ she wipes her tears away before they can fall, _I don't know,_ am _I overreacting? Everything feels so different now, and I'm so scared about where things are heading, but…is it all in my head?_

Mabel groans in frustration and puts everything she had out for the movie night away, leaving the popcorn on the kitchen counter and covering it up with plastic wrap. Her movements are quick and jerky, because even if she is overreacting, it doesn't change the fact that she's upset. Even if their relationship isn't ruined by this, her night certainly is. When she looks at the time and realizes it's eight o'clock, it gets her even more worked up because Dipper and Ford had been down there _all day_ , only coming up to eat and they couldn't even give her _two hours_? And they wouldn't even say what they were working on, not even a vague hint even if it's just to shut her up.

 _Maybe they're playing that stupid math game again,_ she decides, but she knows that's not true. At least not when she went down there. If they were, she's certain they'd say so because it's not like its a big secret that they love it, even after their little adventure.

Then it dawns on her. The one truth she's been denying this whole time.

 _Dipper doesn't trust me anymore._

The thought stops her in her tracks, and she wraps her arms around herself shaking her head trying to push that idea out of her mind. But now that it's there, floating around demanding her attention, she can't unthink it.

 _Dipper doesn't trust me anymore._

She starts to chew on her hair as she paces back and forth, her pulse quickening as she tries to suppress and deny the fact. _When have I ever given him reason not to—_?

 _It's because I didn't press the button, isn't it? Because I chose to trust Grunkle Stan…_

She shakes her head because that _can't_ be right. Sure, he wanted her to shut down the machine, and with good reason, but she just couldn't deny Stan who was _pleading_ her to trust him, and as it turned out she made the right call. Stan got his brother back, Dipper got to meet and is now bonding with the _Author_ , so it was the right call. Surely that's not what she did to break his trust, was it?

But that was when it first started…

 _No, it's when I first got worried that we'd get all stupid like our Grunkles did…maybe it_ is _all in my head…_

Mabel releases a frustrated growl, deciding to go for a walk or something to clear her head. It's a beautiful, starry night out so maybe a walk, or even just some fresh air is exactly what she needs. Maybe for once she'll get a decent night sleep. Dipper thought it had only been a few nights, but clearly he didn't realize how many batches of Mabel Juice she needed to make just to function ever since Ford returned.

She _hates_ this worrying business. She hates not sleeping, she hates worrying about something that might not even be a big deal…but what if it is? Maybe they're best friends _now,_ but they have different interests, different tastes which could very easily set them on different paths. They're growing up and now someone has come along who is like Dipper in so many ways. Grunkle Ford's become a mentor to him and it's _great_ , she should be _happy_ for him, and she _is,_ truly she is _,_ but…ever since he's been shutting her out. Keeping secrets. Maybe it's all in her head but what if it's not?

 _No! We're_ not _drifting apart, we're not, we're not, we're not! You're being_ stupid _Mabel!_

She just wants everyone to be _happy_ darn it! Why can't things be like they were? Why did Ford's arrival have to ruin everything? His arrival should've made everything _better,_ not worse! She thinks about the conversation she overheard between Stan and Ford where she learned that Ford was planning to kick out Stan as soon as they left for home at the end of the summer, and Stan basically disowned Ford as a brother. It broke her heart to hear it.

Yeah, their two Grunkles had their problems in the past, but from everything she's heard, it was one big, tragic misunderstanding. Maybe Stan screwed up, made some mistakes in the past and did some questionable things, took huge risks, but it was all to save Ford, and Ford couldn't even be _grateful_ for what Stan did to save him? And couldn't Stan just see what Ford had been through? Couldn't they see they both made mistakes and both went through so much? They had been best friends and now they can't stand to be near each other. If they could just learn to get along…

 _What if we_ do _become like them? Dipper seemed so annoyed at the very_ thought _of hanging out with me tonight… maybe it really_ is _because he's so caught up with his top secret mystery project with Grunkle Ford, and I really am reading_ way _too much into things, but it has to start somewhere right?_

"I can't let things get that way," she says out loud into the night. She sighs, leaning against a support beam on the porch, suddenly no longer having the energy to go for a walk. She yawns, feeling her insomnia catching up with her. She hopes that maybe tonight's the night she gets some actual sleep, but even though she's _exhausted_ , she knows that unless she can do something to banish her stupid and probably completely unfounded worries from her mind, no amount of tiredness is going to help.

 _Dipper doesn't trust me anymore._

She simply can't get that thought out of her head, and she shudders to think of all the implications behind it.

Suddenly she hears a buzzing near her ear and flinches, spotting the _biggest_ bee she had ever seen. Or maybe it's a wasp. She's always had a hard time telling the difference. Either way, it's huge, about an inch and a half long, maybe even bigger. The sight of it startles her and she swats it away in panic. "Ah! Get away!" But it buzzes around her and as she tries to move away from it she suddenly feels a sharp pain on the back of her right shoulder.

"Ouch!" she gasps, realizing she's been stung. She gives it a fierce swat and it slams into the wall before hitting the ground, either dead or stunned. Her hand goes to the place it stung her feeling the poke of the stinger sticking out of her sweater and plucks it out.

That's when the first wave of dizziness strikes. She glances at the stinger, horrified by the length. It's at least half an inch, _Do stingers even_ get _that long?_ She wonders as things suddenly go topsy-turvy. She grasps the wooden post she had been leaning against for support as she's overwhelmed with weakness. She staggers over to where the oversized insect had landed and notices that it's unlike anything she had ever seen before. Similar to a bee or wasp at first glance, but the colour is wrong, more like black with green and purple stripes and the shape is slightly off.

 _What is that?_ She wonders, blinking heavily when her vision doubles and blurs. Her skin suddenly feels cool and clammy, her chest aches with pressure and she can hardly breathe. Her limbs feel like jelly as she stumbles to the door. _Oh no, oh no…whatever that thing was, it's not natural…_

Her mouth goes dry and she can't seem to swallow, and even when she closes her eyes the dizziness and vertigo won't abate.

Her trembling hands struggle with the doorknob as she tries to push her way in. "H-help…" she tries to call out, but she can't seem to speak louder than a whisper, and the attempt scratches at her tightening throat, making her choke and cough.

 _Dipper…he and Grunkle Ford will know what that was, they'll know what to do…_

She staggers to the Gift Shop, grabbing hold of the walls and furniture to keep from faceplanting and passing out on the floor, fighting the overwhelming weakness that's trying to take over her. By the time she reaches the vending machine she can hardly see, her vision is wavering in and out of focus, and she's pretty sure she's seeing four of everything now. She falls heavily into the vending machine and doubles over. Her entire right arm is numb, and her shoulder where the thing stung her burns with an intense and painful heat and she's shaking so much that she can barely reach the buttons.

She presses her forehead into the cool glass of the vending machine, closing her eyes to help her focus, trying to rely on her sense of touch to enter the passcode to the vending machine. The machine beeps as she gets it wrong so she shakily tries again, getting it wrong a second time. The thought briefly crosses her fading mind that they changed it on her, angry that she interrupted them as they worked on their top secret project but they wouldn't do that, would they?

 _Come on, come on…_ she whimpers, terrified now as she tries to enter the passcode once again but just the act of pressing one button is taking up way more energy than it should. She apparently gets it wrong once more so she tries again, managing to press three buttons before her knees give out and she sinks to the floor, depleted of strength. _What's happening to me?_

"Dipper!" she whispers hoarsely, weakly pounding on the vending machine, knowing he's not going to hear it, even if she could bang on it properly. They're too far down in the basement to hear anything.

She tries to swallow but can't. She can't breathe or focus her eyes enough to see anything but wavering blurs of colour. "Grunkle Stan…" she moans, hoping maybe she can get his attention somehow. But he's upstairs in his room and the thought of making the journey even to the next room is daunting, but there's no way she can get Dipper and Ford's attention so maybe she has a better chance with him.

 _Just…gotta rest a sec,_ she thinks breathlessly, closing her eyes as unconsciousness slowly settles in.

* * *

A/N Why do I always seem to end up putting Mabel in peril in my stories? Or at least the ones I end up posting. Anyway, thanks for reading! Please let me know what you think, good or bad! Should I continue? Reviews help the muse work faster! Hint hint! ;D


	2. Tension

A/N Holy guacamole! I am simply blown away by the overwhelming response this has gotten! I've never debuted a story with this many reviews before _ever_. You guys are amazing! Thank you so much!

Aleja08, guest(s), Gam919, Extreme Light 9, XDragonWingsX: thank you so much for the reviews! Means a lot!

codelyoko300, Pine Nut: Sorry for the cliffhangers. I can be pretty evil that way! Thanks for the reviews guys!

shootingstar34: Oh my sweet faithful reviewer! Once again thank you for following all my stories so faithfully! It means so much! I hadn't heard that code that you mentioned before, where'd you see/hear it? It makes me intrigued and nervous at the same time! Dipper and Mabel's bond is one of my favourite things about the show. I've said it once, I'll say it again, MYSTERY TWINS for LIFE!

TMNTGFKittySidekick01: Yet another super cool awesome faithful reviewer! Love that you took the hint with such gusto! I'll return your PM tomorrow. I'm notoriously bad at timely responses so please forgive me. Thanks as always for all the wonderful comments to all my stories!

DipperPinesRules: There's nothing wrong with loving sad stories! I'm glad you like this particular one! (I think the question is what's wrong with me? I put Mabel through so much in my stories! WHY?!) Thanks for the review and I totally agree with your username!

animation-fangirl-nation: Thanks for all the favourites, follows and the review! I'm so glad you like my stuff! I'm so flattered that you like my writing so much. :-)

BlueSpiritFire1: Well I'm glad to have been able to provide what you were looking for! Those are legitimate questions indeed. I hope this chapter will shed some light on at least some of them and I hope it won't disappoint! Thanks so much for the review!

If I missed anyone, I am SO sorry! Every comment I receive means so much to me! And thank you to all those who have favourited and followed this! Once again, I'm overwhelmed by the wonderful response this has gotten!

WARNING: This chapter might be a little...intense? It's kind of based on a nightmare I had once. It wasn't pretty. There's a certain 'ick' factor to it.

Anyway, enjoy!

* * *

 **Tension**

"Grunkle Ford, that was _amazing_!" Dipper exclaims as the machine they had been building all day worked exactly the way it's supposed to.

"Great job Dipper! I am so _proud_ of you!" Ford replies, "It's great to know that this family managed to produce another genius, you're going places kiddo, really. I see a very bright future ahead of you."

Dipper blushes, "Thanks." He gives his great uncle and mentor a big hug, looking at the machine he helped build. The machine is a containment unit of sorts, designed to contain and neutralize dangerous objects like the inter-dimensional rift or anything else that might've come as a side effect to opening the portal. "High six?"

"High six!" Ford exclaims enthusiastically as they slapped their hands together jubilantly. When Dipper yawns Ford looks at the clock, "Holy Toledo, it's late! You should really get to bed."

Dipper looks and is shocked to see it's past three in the morning. "Wow! OK, yeah, good night Grunkle Ford!" he yawns again, exhaustion quickly catching up with him now that he's aware of the time. He heads to the elevator and goes up, and then up the stairway to the vending machine entrance. But when he tries to push it open he's met with an unexpected obstacle and can't get it to open far enough to get through.

"What the—?"

Through the small opening he's able to make he can see his sister is lying in front of the vending machine, fast asleep. He rolls his eyes, "Mabel! Move, I can't get out!" With a bit more force he's able to open it a little further, but still not quite enough to get through, "Wake up, sis! You're in the way! I think you were sleepwalking again!"

The fact that she's lying on the floor in front of the vending machine doesn't automatically set off too many red flags for Dipper. They each have their odd quirks when sleep deprived. He chews on his shirt, she sleepwalks. While Mabel rarely has trouble sleeping, the few times she does it's not unusual to find her fast asleep in odd places around the house the next morning, and a few times while growing up, mom and dad would have to guide her back to bed after they'd catch her wandering around the house.

"Mabel!" he hisses with annoyance.

She replies with a quivering moan, and that's when he realizes that something is wrong. She sounds like she's in pain and she's still not waking up.

He reaches through the crack and nudges her, "Hey, you OK?" his hand touches her face and he recoils in shock, "Mabel, you're burning up! Wake up!" She stirs slightly with a faint whimper of pain but still doesn't wake. "Grunkle Ford!" he calls, "Grunkle Ford help! Something's wrong with Mabel!" he glances behind him down the stairs, and realizes that Ford probably can't hear him. Putting his whole body into it, he forces the door open until he's able to squeeze through. When he gets through he kneels next to her, combing her damp hair out of her face.

She's lying partially on her side, but mostly on her stomach, and he realizes from her position she was trying to open the vending machine before she passed out. He doesn't understand what could've happened to her. Last time he saw her a few hours ago she was perfectly fine so how'd she get so incredibly sick so fast?

"Grunkle Ford! Grunkle Stan!" he calls out again, not wanting to leave her side but needing help. He turns his attention back to Mabel, not sure what to do exactly. _Is she hurt?_ He wonders, but she doesn't look visibly injured. He rolls her onto her back and her eyes snap open and she screams out in pain, her right shoulder jerking suddenly as it makes contact with the floor. "Mabel!" he gasps in surprise, quickly catching onto where the source of her pain is as he helps her roll onto her side. She curls around him, clutching blindly at his shirt until he takes her hand and she grasps it tightly.

Dipper can hear footsteps above him, relieved to know that he was able to get Grunkle Stan's attention, "Mabel, hey… it's OK, you're going to be OK…"

Her response is a little unexpected. "I'm sorry," she sobs, "please don't hurt me! Please…don' leave me Dipper…"

"Mabel, you've done nothing wrong!" he exclaims, _At least as far as I know…_ , "I'm not going anywhere, OK?"

"Whatever I did 'm sorry," she slurs faintly as she fades back into unconsciousness, tears falling down her cheeks.

"Dipper, what's going on, what happened?" Stan asks suddenly as he comes through the 'employee's only' door, rushing towards them.

"I…I don't know, she's sick or hurt…I found her unconscious by the vending machine. She's burning up, Grunkle Stan!" Dipper stammers. "I think her back is hurt, or her shoulder…"

Stan kneels beside them, his hand going to her forehead where his eyes widen in shock, "Dipper, get a clean cloth and get it damp, we need to get her temperature down," he orders and then he gives her a gentle nudge, "Mabel, sweetie wake up. Come on kid…" He glances at Dipper who remains frozen in place, "Well, get to it Dipper. Go!"

Dipper nods and does as he's told.

Stan gently prods her back, looking for sign of injury and when he gets to her right shoulder she flinches and he can feel signs of swelling from under her sweater. Carefully he removes her sweater so she's just in her light pink t-shirt which is damp with sweat. Where the swelling starts he can see a yellowish stain and he winces, gingerly tugging her shirt down at the collar to partially reveal an angry looking welt. From his vantage point all he can see is where the skin is starting to swell, the colour is red with dark purple lines branching out. His heart clenches because he knows it's a very, very bad sign. Hospital bad.

"Sorry kid, I'll get you a new shirt when you're feeling better," Stan says before he rips the fabric to get better access to the injury. He gags at the sight of a blistering puncture wound, yellow and green with infection but he's perplexed because when he saw her last, she was fine. A wound has to fester for days before it can get _this_ bad.

That can only mean one thing. This wound wasn't caused by something natural.

Dipper returns and stops dead in his tracks at the sight.

"Oh man…what…?"

"Not sure yet," Stan says grimly, taking the cloth from him before he starts to wipe away some of the sweat from her face, "get Ford. I…I think whatever this is, it might be from something in one of his journals or…or _something_."

Mabel responds instantly to the cool dampness of the cloth and she stirs, whimpering helplessly, "I'm sorry…p-please forgive me…wh-whatever it was…I'm _sorry!_ "

"Mabel? Honey wake up," Stan soothes softly, as it's clear that while her eyes are open, she's not really awake.

"Don' hate me Dipper…"

Dipper's heart sinks by her words, having no idea where such an absurd thought was coming from. He could never hate her, no matter what. And why would she think she wronged him in some way that not even she knows? Once again he's frozen in place, knowing what he's supposed to do but unable to bring himself to leave Mabel's side, especially with her like this, thinking…thinking he _hated_ her for some reason.

Stan nudges Mabel, "Hey kid, can you tell me what happened to you?"

She blinks wearily at him and while she's not all there, she's reached a level of awareness that she can answer his questions, "Stung…bee stung me…think it was a bee…" she moans shakily, "big, purple 'n green colour…wasn't natural…"

It doesn't make sense that a bee or anything like a bee would be out at night, but if it wasn't natural, like he had already suspected anyway due to how quickly the infection progressed, it wouldn't necessarily behave like a normal bee would. But it gives Stan something to work with as he takes a closer look at the center of the wound and sure enough he sees something black barely poking out. "I think I see the stinger…" he frowns, "but it's in pretty deep. I'm going to need tweezers or something to get it out..." He glances up at Dipper, "What are you still doing here, kid? Get Ford, _now_."

Dipper's breath hitches and he nods. Whatever Mabel might've said in her delirium, it doesn't matter right now. What matters now is helping her get better so he quickly turns and rushes downstairs to get Grunkle Ford. He's a genius, he wrote the journals so if anyone would know what's wrong or what to do, it's him.

He nearly falls down the stairs and when he reaches the elevator he realizes just how friggin' _slow_ it is, the whole ride he's bouncing on his heels, "Come on, come on…" he mutters, biting his fingernails. When the door opens he calls out, "Grunkle Ford! Grunkle Ford help! It's Mabel!"

Ford emerges from the room that he had turned into a bedroom for himself, "Dipper! What are you doing here?"

"It's Mabel!" he says again, breathlessly in a panic, "Something's wrong with her, she says she's been stung by something. She's really sick and it looks…it's bad!"

"Slow down," Ford holds up his hands, trying to calm him. Dipper inhales slowly and Ford nods to him, "OK, start again, tell me everything you know…"

And so Dipper does just that, answering any questions Ford may have to the best of his ability and adding whatever information he can, but Dipper doesn't know much. From the grim look on his face though, it seems Ford might have an idea.

"OK, here's what you need to do Dipper," Ford instructs, "take her to the kitchen and place her in a way I can access the wound, OK? Get the first aid kit and some clean towels. I have a feeling…I have a feeling that…Dipper, do you trust me?"

"O-of course!" he stammers, wondering why he would need to ask him that.

"I don't mean trust me with a secret, but trust that whatever I might need to do, I'm only going to do it because it can help Mabel in the long run?"

"W-what are you g-getting at Grunkle Ford?" Dipper swallows hard, worried about where this is going.

"Because if I'm right about what stung her, things are going to get a lot worse before they can even begin to get better," Ford explains, "I hope it won't come to it, but based on what you told me, I'm afraid I might need to take some drastic measures to help your sister. If it comes to that, I need to know beforehand that you trust me and won't get in my way."

"I…I trust you," Dipper nods, a little more hesitantly this time as his heart pounds with panic at the worst-case scenarios that begin to run though his mind.

"Now go. I'll be up soon, I just need to get some things together first. You and Stan do what I said, I'll be right up," Ford gives his shoulder a squeeze, "she's going to be fine, Dipper. I promise." He flashes a reassuring smile and nods to him. Dipper nods back, swallowing hard as he runs back to the elevator. Watching him go, Ford's smile fades into a grim but determined frown.

/o\

When Ford arrives in the kitchen, Mabel is straddling a chair backwards, there's a pillow stuffed between her stomach and the back of the chair as a cushion as she leans limply over the back. Dipper is sitting facing her, holding her hands in his as she blearily tilts her head towards Stan who sits beside her, one hand resting on her left shoulder and the other resting on Dipper's. The wound on the back of her right shoulder is exposed through the torn fabric of her shirt and Ford swallows at the sight, glancing away briefly with sadness as Dipper and Stan turn their attention to him as he enters.

"What do you need for us to do, Grunkle Ford?" Dipper asks, giving Mabel's hands a squeeze as he tries to make eye contact with her. She's conscious now, barely, but she's constantly avoiding his gaze as though guilty or ashamed, but she does squeeze back in return. It bothers him that while there's strength in her grip on her left hand, she can't seem to do more than twitch the fingers on her right.

"Stay right where you are Dipper," Ford instructs, approaching to get a better look at the wound. He's wearing awkwardly fitting latex gloves designed for normal hands with his two smallest fingers jammed into one of the fingers of the gloves and there's a knife in his hand which prompts Stan to immediately stand up, concerned and suspicious.

"What do you plan to do with that?"

"Mabel's going to need an anchor right now, and there's no better person than you to be that anchor," Ford continues, ignoring his brother. "Stan, I need you to turn on a burner to maximum," Ford says, handing him the knife, "put the knife on the burner."

Stan's eyes widen and he shakes his head, "Oh no you don't. Don't you _dare_!"

"I'm sorry but I _have_ to," Ford replies, "if there was another way…I don't even have to take a closer look to know it's the only way."

"Gr'nkle F'rd?" Mabel murmurs, twisting her head towards him straining to see him, "Wha's goin' on? Gonna do?" She tenses with panic, wiggling weakly in her seat. With his hands full, Dipper presses his forehead against hers, trying to keep her still.

"It's OK, Mabel," he soothes, "It's going to be OK…"

She calms down slightly, dropping her head onto the pillow folded over the back of the chair. She closes her eyes, but Dipper can tell she's still conscious, and he's starting to get a bad feeling that it would be better off if she _weren't_ conscious for this.

"Grunkle Ford? What stung Mabel? What are you planning to do?" he glances back and forth between the Stans, curious about Ford's instruction and why Stan's so adamantly against it, so much that his hands are clenched in fists and he's quickly moved himself between Ford and Mabel. Then it all clicks into place just as Stan shoves Ford back and Dipper squeezes Mabel's hands tighter as his stomach suddenly feels like it's in his throat.

"Don't you _dare,_ Ford!" he hisses again.

"Fine," Ford replies, snatching the knife back from Stan, "I'll do it myself." He turns on the burner and places the knife's blade on top, "Mabel was stung by a Worry Wasp, the stingers still inside and I have no choice but to cut it out, drain the infection and cauterize the wound."

"You can't!" Dipper protests.

"I wish I didn't need to do this, but I _have_ to. The stinger's clearly been in there a long time, and at this point, it's the only way to kill the infection," Ford replies grimly. "I'm sorry, I truly am. But I warned you Dipper that I might have to take drastic actions to help her."

"So what? You think _branding_ her like you did me is the best option?" Stan growls, "Forget it!"

"That was an _accident_ and you know it!" Ford hisses, "Damn it Stanley, don't you realize that if there was a better, less traumatic way I would do that instead?"

"At least give her something to lessen the pain," Dipper pleads, "let that kick in before you…you know."

Ford sighs, closing his eyes, "That would be a bad idea. The Worry Wasp is highly venomous, and from everything I've observed, it reacts negatively to medicine of any kind. At this point it would only make things worse."

"What's a Worry Wasp anyway?" Dipper asks, "I don't remember reading about it in your journals…"

"That's because you won't find it in my journals, Dipper," Ford replies. He tries to approach Mabel again but Stan won't let him, "Come on Stanley, now's not the time. The longer we wait the worse it will get, and it's been too long as it is."

"Grunkle Stan…" Dipper protests, but it's clear he's conflicted, wanting to do whatever it took to help Mabel, but hating that Ford wasn't lying when he said things had to get much worse before they could get better. What Ford was talking about might help her, but it was also going to be torturous.

"You're not going anywhere near _my_ niece. I'm taking her to the hospital…"

"She's my niece too!" Ford snaps, "Just because I haven't had a chance to get to know her like you have doesn't mean I don't care! You think I _want_ to cause her more pain? Is that it? What kind of monster do you think I am? And they can't help her with this at the hospital. Their good intentions might get her killed!"

"Guys…" Mabel weakly cuts in, her voice a barely audible whisper. She coughs painfully, and that's what gets everyone's attention, "Guys, 's OK…got the st'nger out already…don' have to…"

"No kiddo," Ford replies, "I'm sorry but they break very easily, they…they're kind of designed to break off when someone tries to pull them out. It's…it's a complicated creature. Now Stanley, please stand aside and let me cut the thing out before…"

"Before what?" Stan asks.

Ford runs his hand down his face, hesitant to answer, "Stanley, _please_ I'm begging you here! Let me do what I need to do to save her! _Trust_ me on this!"

"Grunkle Stan," Dipper swallows hard, "let him help. He's the only one here who knows what to do."

Stan hesitates, but suddenly Mabel tenses and lets out a scream of pain. " _Make it stop_!" she screams, as her body bucks and writhes on the chair, " _It hurts!_ IT HURTS! _MAKE IT STOP_!"

"I don't have time for this," Ford mutters, grabbing a different knife and dousing it with alcohol from the first aid kit that sits on the table beside them along with everything else he needs as Stan goes to help Dipper soothe Mabel.

"Mabel!" Dipper cries out in alarm, letting go of her hands to grasp her upper arms, trying to keep her from falling from the chair.

"What's going on?" Stan exclaims, "What's happening to her? Oh man, what _is_ that?"

They look at her wound with horror as something under the swollen skin starts moving, and it looks like the infected puncture wound of the stinger could burst at any moment. Mabel meanwhile keeps on screaming, blindly writhing in the chair, oblivious to everything around her except _pain_.

Ford pushes Stan aside, "Out of my way, and _hold her down_! Keep her still as possible!" He takes a clean cloth from the table set up with supplies and rolls it up, "Have her bite this, it should help," he tells Dipper. Ford then takes the knife and a towel, cutting into the wound. Immediately blood and yellowish green pus seeps from the wound and he gags, wiping it away with the towel, "Dipper, hand me the tweezers, make sure to sanitize them with alcohol first. Stan, keep holding her still."

Dipper's reluctant to let her go, but he doesn't hesitate. His eyes widen with horror when he gets a good look at the wound and through the blood he can see the stinger, and something else, something moving. Meanwhile Mabel continues to scream, though the sound is muffled from the cloth in her teeth. Dipper's stomach lurches at the sight and he swallows back the vomit that made it to his mouth.

Ford grasps the end of the stinger with the tweezers and give it a tug, struggling to pull it out. Finally he does and Dipper's shocked to see how long it is, at least an ¾ of an inch long and something is on the tip, like thin strings branching out, coated in blood. "Dipper, grab me a couple of glasses or something to put this in," he tells him and Dipper does what he's told. He drops the stinger into one glass, and then brings the tweezers back to the wound and pulls out a small wormy-like _thing_ that wiggles and squirms as Ford drops it into the second glass.

"What the _heck_ is that?" Stan gags, equally as shocked and horrified as Dipper. Even more alarming to them is that Ford looks just as surprised as they are, but Ford swallows back his surprise, and keeps going, pulling another one out, and then another one until Mabel finally stops writhing and screaming and falls limp as a ragdoll, breathless and sobbing, but still conscious. Stan takes the cloth from her mouth and she shudders, releasing a pained-filled cry that brings tears to Stan and Dipper's eyes.

"Dipper, get the knife from the stove," Ford instructs quietly, his voice forcibly even.

This time Dipper hesitates.

"Come on, you can see now why I need to do this," Ford replies. "It's the only way to kill the infection and…and _that_ ," he tilts his chin to the glass with the worm-like things. "I'm positive I got them all, but this is the only way to make sure it's the last of them."

"Can't believe I'm saying this but…he's right," Stan agrees.

"N-no," Mabel murmurs, "p-please…" She glances at Dipper, watching him as he reaches the stove and takes the knife in his hands. Her eyes widen in panic as he approaches her, the tip of the knife glowing reddish-orange. "Please don'!" she shrieks, "Why're you doing this to me?!" Stan puts the cloth back in her mouth and she tries weakly to fight them off, but she has no strength and her right arm dangles uselessly, her fingers brushing along the floor.

Dipper hands Ford the knife and immediately kneels in front of Mabel, grabbing her hands and pressing his forehead against hers, "Shh, it's OK Mabel," he soothes, "it's almost over, it'll all be over soon…"

Mabel shakes her head, tears trailing down her cheeks as she avoids his gaze with a look of pure betrayal in her eyes. Dipper chokes back a sob, releasing her right hand to hold onto the back of her neck. _She thinks we're hurting her on purpose…she doesn't understand that we're helping her…_

"Look at me, Mabel, just look at me," he whispers, his voice breaks a little, "I'm sorry that it's going to hurt, but it's the only way to help you, sis. I'm sorry. But it'll be over soon…it'll be over soon, I _promise_!"

"OK, I'm going to do this on three," Ford warns, "One, two…" he doesn't get to three, instead he presses the hot knife blade against her skin on two and immediately Mabel writhes with a muffled scream as Stan tries to hold her still and Dipper holds her head, repeating the mantra that it will be over soon, acting as her anchor, doing his best to keep her grounded and comforted during the torturous ordeal.

Fortunately Dipper's not lying when he says it will be over soon because the procedure only lasts a few seconds, but when it's over Mabel's eyes flutters closed and she goes completely limp in the chair having finally lost consciousness. Dipper pulls her into an awkward hug, resting his chin on her left shoulder as her arms dangle limply and Ford quickly dresses the wound.

"Now what?" Dipper asks shakily, "Is it over? Is she going to be OK now?"

"The worst is over," Ford says, "but the venom is still in her system. We're in for a long night."

"What do you mean it's still in her system?" Stan demands angrily, "Then what was that torture-fest for?"

"Dammit Stan!" Ford groans, tired and irritated because he thought they were over this, "I did what I had to do! I've stopped it from getting worse, but that won't do anything to stop the venom that stinger has pumped into her bloodstream for last however many hours!"

"You can cure it, right?" Dipper asks, releasing Mabel from his hug and combing her hair out of her face. He looks so small and vulnerable that it make Ford sigh with regret.

"At this point it has to run its course," Ford replies.

"And then she'll be OK?"

"Well…I um…" he scratches the back of his head, an apologetic look on his face, "I don't really know."

"You don't know?" Stan hisses accusingly, "What do you mean you don't know? _You're_ the expert on all things weird!"

"I've only seen a few cases of a Worry Wasp sting, but never this advanced, I didn't even realize stinging people was how they reproduce!" Ford replies, and they all kind of shudder at the thought, "But from all accounts, she _should_ be fine. We just have to wait it out."

"Should?" Stan scoffs, "Come on Poindexter, I need better than that!"

"Well it's all I've got, OK?" Ford snaps. "I'm sorry I can't give you a more definite answer!"

Mabel moans in her sleep and starts to slump to the side but Dipper holds her steady, keeping her from falling off the chair, "We should move her somewhere more comfortable…" he says quietly, still clearly shaken about the whole ordeal. "What's a Worry Wasp anyway? Why isn't it in your journals?"

"Because I never encountered one in this dimension," Ford replies, "I think this one that stung her somehow followed me through the Portal."

"So _you_ brought it here?" Stan frowns.

"Hey," Ford growls in warning, "I'm not the one who opened the Portal! Don't pin this on me, Stanley!"

"So now it's my fault?"

They're interrupted when Mabel whimpers, breaking into violent shivers like she's cold, but one touch to her forehead and it's clear she's still burning with fever. "I didn't say that," Ford sighs, "Look we need to stop this right now, fighting isn't going to help Mabel. If anything I think it might make it worse."

"How?" Stan asks, still a little antagonistic but there's less bite to his voice now that the idea that his anger might be bringing his great-niece harm somehow has been planted in his mind.

"I've named these creature Worry Wasps because they're attracted to negative emotion. From everything I've observed, they only sting people with profound anxiety and the venom it attacks the victims not just physically, but it also attacks the mind. Even if their worries aren't real, the venom will _make_ it real in their mind, making their fears and anxieties come to life in an overpowering and threatening way that can easily drive them mad," Ford explains. "She's overwhelmed with negative energy right now, so if we're to help her we can't add fuel to her fire by arguing like this."

"So you're saying that this is going to make her crazy?" Stan asks.

"Not necessarily," Ford replies, "in every case I've seen the victims all made a full recovery. Mabel's case is more advanced, but she's young and strong and resilient, so again, she _should_ be fine."

"But I don't understand, Mabel's the most optimistic, carefree person I know, why her?" Stan's laments, distraught, "She's so happy all the time she should be the last person something like that would target. What does she have to be so worried about anyway?"

Dipper glances at Mabel and his eyes drift to the counter where he sees a big bowl of uneaten popcorn, covered in plastic wrap so anyone who wants to snack on it can help themselves. His heart sinks and he closes his eyes guiltily, remembering how genuinely upset she was that they forgot about movie night. And he knows that she hasn't been sleeping well, but he never really questioned why because whenever he asked she seemed to shrug it off with a smile.

 _"Dipper,"_ she had said to him, the night Ford returned, _"You don't think we'll end up like Stan and Ford do you?"_

 _"What do you mean?"_ he had asked in return.

 _"I mean, they used to be best friends, but then they got all stupid."_

He had dismissed it at the time, and thought he had easily reassured her that wouldn't happen to them. He had her giggling and smiling and then they went to sleep and it was all good. But now that he thinks about it, she had sounded a little off that night. Far more serious and contemplative than usual. It's also when she started to slow signs of sleep deprivation. But other than that she always seemed like her normal, happy self. Except, lately he's barely seen her...

 _Oh no…Mabel why didn't you just say something?_

"I think I have an idea."

* * *

A/N I just have to say that I love it when Stan gets all protective of the kids. Anyway, thanks so much for reading! Please leave a review, it would make me and my muse so very happy you know! And a happy muse is a productive muse! Would love to know your thoughts and theories and whatnot. Also, who's excited for the next episode? I know I am!


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